Rajadell Castle

On top of a hill stands a massive building of considerable height, the castle of Rajadell.At the time of the Reconquest, the Spanish Marca needed to control the border that delimited the Christian territory from the Muslim. The Riera de Rajadell valley therefore became a key natural passage for the defense and control of this border and the Rajadell castle was built to meet the need for defense of the valley. Other castles such as Castellar, Boixadors and Torres de Fals also made it possible to defend the enemy's territory.From the 13th century, the history of the castle was linked to the lineage of the Rajadell family, lords of the area who participated in wars such as those of Provence, Navarre, Almeria, Sardinia and Mallorca. In the course of the Generalitat's war against Joan II (in 1471) the castle and the church suffered a lot of damage and were inactive for a long period. In the 16th century the Rajadells were left without a legitimate heir and in 1515 the Cruïlles, who would later come together through marriage ties with the Eimerics, bought the manor. In the 17th century, the Cruïlles-Eimeric heiress, Anna, married Domenico de Pignatelli. From then on, the Pignatelli would be the lords of the castle, despite residing in Naples. At the end of the 19th century, the Princess of Belmonte, owner of the castle, sold the property to Francesc Pons from Manres.Built on top of a hill, next to the stream and the old town, the castle forms a set of three bodies. The first written documentation we find dates from 1063, although we can say that it corresponds to the Gothic period (one of the walls and decorative elements, which could be from the 13th or 14th centuries) and the 17th century. It is difficult, however, to establish which parts correspond to each moment because it has been rebuilt several times. Together with the church, it was the origin of the town of Rajadell. The main building, the tallest, still contains rooms from the different inhabited stages: the dungeon, the armory, the alcoves, the stable, the kitchen, the bedrooms, the dining room, etc. In the northern part of the complex we find the house that was inhabited by the farmers and a defensive turret that faces west. At the end of the 19th century, the Pons repaired the building and furnished it. However, during the civil war the castle was requisitioned by the revolutionary committee and all the valuables there were lost.